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arena | origins
Up to the challenge
By ANDREA BENNETT, PHOTOS BY WILLIAM VASTA
STEVE ECKERSON has a history of working at venues — from Seattle to Kentucky to Florida — so he's well prepared for his role as AEG general manager of Citizens Business Bank Arena.
"My true passion is for arenas, as opposed to event centers or stadiums," Eckerson said. "I like to have events year round." He said reaching that goal will be a challenge, because of the competition, but he's setting his sights on success.
"We'll end up doing 125 events, which is one every three days, and that's good," he said. "I'd like to get that number to 200." The former minor league hockey player is looking forward to seeing the Reign play, and he's looking forward to a vibrant future for the venue.
"I think it's going to be extremely successful.''
 All in the family
Father,son know how to entertain a crowd
Barry Kemp, 58, has been a part of the plans for Ontario's $150 million Arena project and the vision of its home team, the Reign, for more than six years.
While he was owner of the Long Beach Ice Dogs, Kemp began talks with Ontario officials about a minor league hockey team as the anchor tenant for a private arena.
"We were going to try to privatize it and worked a couple years on that, but it was never brought to fruition," Kemp said.
"Then, growth in the area increased and land value increased dramatically, which made it possible for the city to build the arena.'' About four years ago, Kemp returned to discussions — this time to partner in managing the Arena and the Ontario Reign, which plays its first home game Oct. 25.
He and AEG, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, each own part of both the venue and team.
With a career in television and film production, Kemp knows what it takes to entertain a crowd, and he plans to do just that.
"Now we have a facility with the electrical capacity to put on a great show for sports fans and non-sports fans,'' he said. "We always thought the Inland Empire was underserved from an entertainment standpoint." Kemp said he enjoys the fact that his son, Justin, is running things so smoothly out here, too.
"To see it come to fruition, to sit inside the building and see it look and feel the way you hoped it would, even exceeding our expectations, it's gratifying." Justin Kemp, 30, is executive vice president of business operations for the Ontario Reign, overseeing ticket sales, finance, community relations, corporate partnerships and marketing for the team.
People from far and near will flock to Reign games the first year for the novelty, he said. Then, after three to five years, Kemp expects to see a growing fan base and a more hockey-savvy crowd.
He predicts games will draw 215,000 to 230,000 people to the Citizens Business Bank Arena each year.
Kemp said having a blank canvas on which to build a hockey team and its audience is a thrill — and a challenge.
"The challenge is the unknown,'' he said.
"When you start something from scratch, you don't have any history to go on. At this point, we're making sure to throw as many resources as we can at it."
Seeing the big picture
For Ontario, little details lead the way
MAYOR PAUL LEON said planning for an arena in Ontario meant creating a comprehensive picture out of a bunch of little details.
For the past eight years, Leon has been touring arenas around the nation, along with Councilman Alan Wapner and City Manager Greg Devereaux, to get every last component and creature comfort right.
"I must have sat in 200 chairs just to figure out what kind of chairs, materials and width we wanted," Leon said. "We looked at as many details as possible to make our Arena the most efficient arena, down to the kind of reader boards to have. It took a lot of thought, study and conversations with people in the know." Ontario's Arena will have ample storage for performers and extra seating, he said.
And, he adds, it will be a straight shot to the seats — no walking through mazes.
The initial concept of the Arena and its manifestation have been the result of a team effort by various councils over the years. It's something the city leaders, past and present, see as an investment in the future, not just of the city, but the entire Inland Empire.
"Our project will bring income and revenue to the region, and the Arena adds to the list of amenities we provide," Leon said. "We'll always be proud that Ontario is the economic engine of the Inland Empire." Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner says he suggested building a professional sports stadium more than a decade ago when the city annexed agricultural preserve land.
A study revealed there was a large enough demand for it, but the media market was not yet ready.
"I had to convince five city council members on six city councils over the years," Wapner said.
But it's all been worth it. The result will be a major economic generator that improves entertainment options for residents and makes the Ontario Mills shopping mall and Ontario Convention Center even more attractive.
"A lot of retail and offices in Piemonte are conditional on the Arena as the anchor," Wapner said of the mixed-use center to be built just north of the venue.
"They paid extra for land because of the Arena."
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"The Arena is the piece in the overall skyline in Ontario that sets us apart in the region. 
"No community is more deserving of first rate entertainment than Ontario.
"The new city-owned Citizens Business Bank Arena further exemplifies Ontario's commitment to continue to invest wisely in the future of the Inland Empire's economy.
"It is one of the most exiciting things that has happened in this area.
"First, I saw this as another economic- development investment that will pay dividends to the city that will in turn be used for our core community.